Electric railway



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ELECTRIC RAILWAY No. 604,911 Patented May 31, 1898.

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4 v. I. D. SWEET.

j 31.301310 RAILWAY. I, v

No. 604,911. Patented May 31, 1898.-

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PATENT. OFFICE;

FREDERICK nyswiza'ig on'ELY m ELECTRIC RAILWAY:

sPncrFIeATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No, 604,911, dated May 3i, 1898. Application filed November 4, 1897. Serial No. 657,448 (No model.)

- T allwhom it may concern.-

. acitizen of the United States, ,residingat Be it known that 1, FREDERICK D. SWEET,

Elyria, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented a certain newand usefullmp'rovemeut in Electric Railways, of

which the fdllowing'is a full, clear, an'dexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings; v

The invention relatesto a combination of devices whereby the electric current generated ata central'station is conducted to a I travclin g motor-car.

In my apparatus the continuous conductor is dispensed with and in its place a series of contact rollers placed at suitable intervals engage consecutivelywith a runner carried by'the car, which'runner is longer than the distance between two consecutive rollers.

The invention consists in the construction and combinationof parts hereinafter described, and. definitely pointed out in the claims.' I

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a 'car and the means for supplying the motor on the car with current. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the road-bed, showing the stationary current-suprdying devices. Fig. 3 is an endview of a car and road-bed, the latter being sectioned to show the current-supplying devices. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through the current-supplying vdevices; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view through one endof the runner, showing the manner 'of connecting the same with the car.

- to travel'onthe tracks F.

13 represents. a runner which extends longitudinally beneath the car, to which it is flexibly suspended by means to bepresently described, which'allow it to swing laterally.

This runner between its ends is substantially horizontal; but-the ends 12 are bent or curved upward and afford means for securing the runner to the car. The horizontal part b of this runner should be as long as practical and should be longer than the distance between two adjacent contact-rollers, which are mounted between the tracks, substantially as hereinafter described. Theextreme ends 11 of this runner are turned into horizontal po- 2 port and is also permitted to move upward i slightlyat its ends in opposition to said spn'g g: cushions. Secured to both sides of the runher and at both ends thereof are contractile coil-springs K K, whose function is to hold the runner in asubstantiallyvertical positionand to return it to such position when it has been moved therefrom. Guy rods or wires M are also connected to the ends of the runner and extend, respectively, forward and backward, theirouter ends being connected with the car-body. These guy Wires or rods prevent the runner from being moved any considerable distance backward .or forward with respect to the car. The lower horizontal edge of this run-nor is faced with a metal, I

strip 0, made of copper or other-good electrical conductor. Preferably this copper strip has a rib c, which enters a vertical longi-' tudinal groove 19 in the runner, substantially as shown in Fig. 3.. This strip is insulated from the runner, the insulation being indicated by c. This contact-strip is electrically connected with the motor mechanism by the Wire 0 Fixed at suitable intervals between the track are contact devices for engagement with the runner. These contact devices are rollers D, made of good conducting metal and secured to the shaft (1, made of like material. These shafts are mounted in suitable bearings in hollow boxes E, which are secured between the,tracks and to the ties. The bearings of these shafts should be insulated, the insulation being indicated in the drawings by e. The upper or contact face of these rollers should be at such elevation that they will be engaged by the runner as the car moves forward and move it upward slightly in opposition to the spring-cushions J, thus insuring intimate contact between the runner and rollers. The distance between these rollers must be less than the length of the horizontal part of the runner; The tops of the boxes are crowned, substantially as shown, and slots c are formed through their tops to permit the entrance of the runner.

In each box are two guide-disks G G, having recesses in their proximate ends. These disks lie on opposite sides of the contactroller, their hubs g loosely embracing, but being insulated from, the shaft of said roller, and they are capable of longitudinal 1nove-' ment thereon. These disks are forced toward each other by the springs g, and under normal conditions the roller is entirely closed in the recesses in said disks. The meeting faces of these disks are beveled outward, substantially as shown, making a V-shaped opening between them by which the entrance of the runner between them is insured.

In the operation of the described mechanism the bent-forward end of the runner enters the slot 6 in the box E and then enters between the two disks G G, which are thereby forced apart, and the metal face 0 0f the runner engages with the contact-roller, being forced down upon said roller by the springcushions. In every case this engagement of the runner takes place before the rear end of the runner has passed out of contact with the last contact-roller.

An insulated feeding-wire N parallels the track, and en eh of the contact-rollers is connected with this feed-wire by a feeder n and springs or brushes n, to which the feeder is connected and which bear against the shaft (Z.

Ilaving described my invention, 7. claim- 1. In an electric railway, in combination, a motor-car, a runner flexibly suspended beneath the car and extending longitudinally thereof, the centering-springs K and K, the guy-wires M, and a series of insulated contact devices secured in the road-bed, iu position to be engaged by said runner, said contact devices being connected with the source of the electric current, and the distance between them being less than the length of the runner, substantially as specified,

9. In an electric railway, in combination, a motor-car, arunner having a horizontal middle part and ends which are bent upward and then outward into substantially horizontal position, bolts secured beneath the car and passing loosely through holes in the horizontal ends of the runner, springs pressing said runner ends downward, and a series of contact devices connected with the source of electrical current and secured at intervals in the road-bed in a position to be engaged by the horizontal part of said runner, the distance between said contact devices being less than the horizontal length of the runner, substantially as specified.

3. In an electric railway, a box secured. in the road-bed and having'a slotted top, a contact-roller mounted in said box but insulated therefrom, two disks lying on opposite sides of said roller and movable in the direction of its axis, said disks having recesses in their prezimate faces which are adapted to embrace said roller, the disks having beveled adjacent ends, springs acting to force said disks toward each other, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK I). S\VEE'1.

Witn esses:

IRVING Il. GRTSWOLD, JOHN A. llnnnv. 

